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JAPAN
Sep 25, 2002

Scholar from Japan held in China prison

The prisoner smiled at his 13-year-old son through a window in the hot meeting room of the No. 3 prison in Urumqi, the provincial capital of the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, one day in August.
COMMENTARY
Sep 25, 2002

Strengthen Sino-Japanese ties

Japan and China will soon observe the 30th anniversary of their normalization of relations, which took place Sept. 29, 1972. The bilateral relationship was placed on a solid foundation with the conclusion of a treaty of peace and friendship in 1978. Economic relations have since dramatically expanded....
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Sep 25, 2002

Laurel Aitken

In 1962, Jamaica achieved independence from Great Britain and the cocky, joyous feel of ska soon sprang up to embody the exuberance of the tiny island. Sadly, Jamaica's early expectations for independence were soon soured by poverty, violence and corruption. Reflecting the mood of the island, ska, too,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE
Sep 25, 2002

So you're a wannabe J-pop star?

Yellow Magic Orchestra burst upon the scene in the late '70s with a refreshing and original blend of pop music and electronic sounds that established a new pop template and influenced musicians all over the world. The band broke up in 1983 and, apart from 1993's one-off reunion album, "Technodon," its...
BUSINESS / ON MANAGEMENT
Sep 24, 2002

What the U.S. Open can teach you about managing big changes

The recent U.S. Open at the Bethpage Black Course has been bountifully praised, and for all the right reasons: for being the first true public Open, for restoring a historic course to its original design and playing conditions, and for attracting fans from a considerably more populist demographic. The...
BUSINESS
Sep 24, 2002

'Al-Qaeda' economist slams band-aid mentality

Masaru Kaneko calls himself an "al-Qaeda" among economic academics, noting that his position has won him no sympathy from the mainstream.
MORE SPORTS
Sep 23, 2002

Serena: The princess of tennis

All the underdog wanted was a few minutes of Serena Williams' off her best game. That's how Kim Clijsters described her chances of topping the world's No. 1 player in the Toyota Princess Cup final.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 23, 2002

Infiltration dates of suspected abductor confirmed

A North Korean agent suspected of being involved in the 1983 abduction of Keiko Arimoto in Europe entered Japan between 1978 and 1979 when other Japanese vanished, according to sources.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 23, 2002

Reform delays discouraging

Junichiro Koizumi was Japan's first prime minister to receive a mandate to push structural reforms by convincing the public that there would be no economic growth without painful reforms. It remains to be seen, however, whether Koizumi will succeed in his reforms. More than a year after launching his...
JAPAN
Sep 23, 2002

War bills headed for back burner

A majority of lawmakers in the ruling coalition want to postpone debate on the war contingency bills until next year.
COMMENTARY
Sep 23, 2002

EU immigration issue heats up

LONDON -- The enlargement of the European Union, with the addition of up to 10 more states and dozens of new local cultures and minorities, is approaching.
JAPAN
Sep 22, 2002

Probe of 60 more abductees urged

A group supporting relatives of Japanese abducted to North Korea has demanded that authorities probe whether Pyongyang's agents spirited away some 60 others besides the 14 whose fates the Stalinist state have already disclosed.
JAPAN
Sep 22, 2002

Venture to foster e-business pros

Iwao Nakatani, president of Tama University, and more than 20 information technology-related companies have jointly founded an organization to produce professionals versed in electronic business, founders said.
COMMENTARY
Sep 22, 2002

Al Gore's amnesia on abuse of liberties

WASHINGTON -- Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore is apparently on the hunt for votes in the 2004 presidential race. He criticized the Bush administration on just about every ground at a recent dinner hosted by the Congressional Black Caucus. The greatest moment of unintended hilarity came when he said...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Sep 22, 2002

Shinsekai Saikan: Old school from the New World

Shinsekai Saikan (or Xinshijie Caiguan, to give it the proper Pinyin reading) has plied its trade at the Jinbocho Crossing since 1946 -- so long, indeed, that it's become one of the neighborhood landmarks. The name may be "New World Restaurant," but this is definitely an establishment of the old school....
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 22, 2002

France losing steam for radical reform

PARIS -- Three months ago, the French center-right scored two stunning electoral victories. As a result of miscalculations and voter apathy, the Socialists who had formed the government since 1997 crashed to defeat, and President Jacques Chirac was re-elected with 82 percent of the vote in a runoff ballot...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 22, 2002

The man's on FAAAY-YA!

"It was only four tracks on the machine," Jamaican music legend Lee "Scratch" Perry once said of an early mixing board, "but I was picking up 20 from the extraterrestrial squad."
JAPAN
Sep 21, 2002

Finance firm searched over illegal loan scam

OSAKA -- Police searched on Friday the offices of an Osaka financial company suspected of improperly collecting at least 3 billion yen loaned by its affiliates to the elderly at illegal interest rates.
Japan Times
JAPAN / ENERGY EQUATION
Sep 21, 2002

Public role key to green-energy foothold

OSAKA -- While nuclear power provides about one-third of Japan's electricity, the government's goal for raising the share of alternative energy sources is a modest one -- from the current 1.2 percent to a mere 3.2 percent by 2010.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 21, 2002

Abductee may have been executed after tutoring plane bomber

Yaeko Taguchi, one of the Japanese abductees whom Pyongyang admitted died in North Korea, may have been executed after serving her purpose as a language instructor for the female agent who blew a Korean Air jetliner out of the sky in 1987, relatives said Friday.
JAPAN
Sep 21, 2002

Koizumi hints rice aid to North Korea may resume

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi indicated Friday that Japan may resume rice aid to North Korea before normalization of bilateral relations.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 21, 2002

Woman left off list of abductees probably nurse

The Japanese woman abducted to North Korea who was not on Tokyo's official list of 11 is probably a nurse from Sado Island in Niigata Prefecture who vanished along with her mother in 1978, sources said Friday.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Sep 21, 2002

Ian Bailey

SHROPSHIRE, England -- A plaque over the porch of a remarkable black-and-white house in a small hamlet in Shropshire gives the date 1636. This records the age of the front of the house. Parts of the rest are older. Owner Ian Bailey has documents that are dated 1589, when the first known inventory was...
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 21, 2002

Testing times for the U.N.

In finally taking the vexed issue of war with Iraq to the United Nations, U.S. President George W. Bush has presented the organization with a double-edged test of credibility. Will it lift its performance and remain relevant to U.S. foreign policy on Washington's terms, or in doing so will it be seen...
JAPAN
Sep 20, 2002

Part-timers top 10 million, account for 26% of workforce

The number of part-time workers topped 10 million last year, accounting for one in every four workers in Japan, according to a survey by the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry.

Longform

Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.